Looney Family Statement; Information About Lt. Looney

The family of Brendan Looney remembered him with the words below and other thoughts this week, as they mourned his passing. LT Looney, 29, was one of nine U.S. service members to lose his life in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan this past Tuesday.

"He was an honorable man."

"He was proud of serving his country and being where he was."

"He believed in it (what he was doing); we believed in it; we believed in him."

"We are proud of him. We loved him."

"He never took the easy way out, nor was he given the easy way out."

"His spirit will live on."

"He touched everyone who encountered him."

"He loved his family, he loved his wife, he loved his life."

Brendan's family –– parents, Kevin and Maureen; wife, Amy Hastings Looney; and siblings, LT Stephen Looney and his wife Alison, LTJG Billy Looney, Bridget, Erin and Kellie –– have gathered together as one this week in the family home in Silver Spring, Md., to honor Brendan after he gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

In their current hour of grief, the Looney family asks the public and members of the media for a period of privacy that will allow them to devote the coming days to each other, and to Brendan.

A public visitation will be held for Brendan on Sunday, October 3, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at DeMatha Catholic High School (4313 Madison Ave., Hyattsville, Md.). The funeral service will be held Monday, October 4 at St. John the Baptist Church (12319 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Md.) from 9:30-10:30 a.m., followed by burial at Arlington National Cemetery. At Arlington, Brendan will be laid to rest next to his Naval Academy roommate, 1st Lt. Travis Manion, USMC, who gave his life in the line of duty in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, the Looney family asks for donations to be made in Brendan's name to either the Travis Manion Foundation (www.TravisManion.com) or to DeMatha Catholic High School (www.DeMatha.org).

And while the family will not be making any public statements to the press at this time, they want everyone to be aware that comforting them during this challenging time is their knowledge that Brendan proudly volunteered to serve his country knowing full well what dangers lay ahead of him. Afghanistan was where he was called to be, and he answered that call to make a difference in the world and in the fight for freedom. The Looney's as a family fully supported the choices Brendan made to attend the Naval Academy and eventually become a SEAL. And though Brendan's decisions would result in his making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, they remain equally proud and supportive of their American hero for having the courage to make the difficult choices that he did. It was one they would expect the Brendan that they knew to make.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 2004, Brendan began his military career among the members of the Navy intelligence community. He requested a transfer to the Navy SEALs, which was approved in late 2006. He then began BUD/S School in March, 2007, and graduated from SEAL Qualification Training as the "Honorman" for Class 265 on June 22, 2008. Three weeks later, on July 12, Brendan and Amy were married. Within 48 hours of the conclusion of the ceremony, he was deployed to Iraq.

Brendan was deployed a total of four times during his naval service. His first deployment took place when he was part of the intelligence community, with the three ensuing deployments coming as a SEAL. His final deployment, as a member of SEAL Team THREE, began on March 9, 2010.